The Mulberry Community Service Center's Personal Finance Center administers the United Way of Central Florida's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Our team of IRS-certified volunteers prepares tax returns at no cost for clients with low to moderate household incomes. We e-file most returns, so if you are due a refund and choose direct deposit, you should receive your refund within a couple of weeks.
More than that, we are passionate about the financial stability of our clients. Building a savings account to help with emergencies is key to becoming financially stable. Our tax experts can help you use your refund to put cash into savings.
During the 2025 tax season, our 13 tax sites, and the online preparation site MyFreeTaxes sponsored by the United Way of Central Florida, prepared 1,726 free tax returns with many resulting in refunds. Nine percent of our taxpayers deposited their refunds to savings accounts for total savings of $403,709. Furthermore, we estimate taxpayers using our free service avoided approximately $411,000 in tax return preparation fees (based on the current average cost a tax return).
We need Free Tax Preparation Program Volunteers
We are preparing for the 2026 tax season, and would love to have you as a volunteer.
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Volunteer Positions: We have two positions for volunteers:
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Greeter: Greets the taxpayers as they enter the site, ensures they have their Social Security cards and photo ID, puts their name on the sign-in sheet, gives them a required form to complete, and calls them when the Preparer is ready.
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Preparer: Reviews the documents the taxpayer has brought, ensures they are within our scope of service, completes the tax return for the reviewer.
​2026 Schedule and Sites: Next year our tax season will be January 26 through April 10, 2026, and we anticipate operating the sites shown below. Most sites operate one day a week, and as the sites determine their upcoming schedules, we will publish them here. If you are interested in volunteering, please review the sites and schedules below, and determine which might be convenient for you.​
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Training: We provide free training to volunteers, which is two hours for greeters and eight hours for preparers and will take place in December 2025 after the online training lab opens. Don’t worry if you’ve had no tax experience – we will train you for the tax issues you can expect. Also, you will not be left alone to do taxes at a site; all sites have an experienced Site Coordinator to help with any questions our preparers have. Note: Do not attend the training if you have no intent to volunteer. The training will not prepare you to open your own tax business, and would be a waste of your time and ours.
Level of Commitment: Without volunteers we are unable to offer this service. Volunteers are expected to complete the training, and to be present at the tax site for every session during the 11-week season. If the site you choose is open six hours a week, your commitment will be at least 74 hours (8 training and 66 working) over the tax season. You might prefer working the three Saturdays rather than volunteering for 11 weeks at a particular site. Unexpected emergencies arise, but we ask our volunteers not to schedule vacation or planned absences during tax season. We understand that this is a very large commitment, but if you are unable to fulfill it, please do not volunteer.
To Volunteer: The UWCF Free Tax Preparation Program is so appreciated by the public, and is a fulfilling use of time. If you think this volunteer opportunity is a fit for you, we need you and would love to have you as a volunteer. Please contact Bobby Ramkarran at the Mulberry Community Service Center, BobbyR@MulberryCSC.org, or (863) 425-1523 x 103.
2026 Anticipated Free Tax Preparation Sites
Bartow Church Service Center
Tax Site: Asbury United Methodist Church
745 E. Main Street
Bartow, FL 33830
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Mondays: 9:30 - 1:00
Jan 26 - Apr 6, 2026
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Wednesdays, 9:30 - 1:00
Jan 28 - Apr 8, 2026
By appointment only
(863) 533-5822
Children's Resource Center
650 Bonnet Springs Blvd
Lakeland, FL 33815
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Wednesdays: 12:30 - 4:30
Jan 28 - Mar 11, 2026
Mar 25 - Apr 8, 2026
No taxes at this site
Mar 18, 2025
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By appointment only
(863) 648-1500, x 294
Fort Meade Library
75 E. Broadway Street
Fort Meade, FL 33841
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Mondays: 10:00 - 3:00
Jan 26 - Apr 6, 2025
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Walk in site
(863) 425-1523, x 103
Haines City Library
111 N. 6th Street
Haines City, FL 33844
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Fridays: 10:00 - 3:00
Jan 30 - Apr 10, 2026
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Walk in site
(863) 425-1523, x 103
Hands of Hope America
Four Corners Community Center
16605 Sunrise Lakes Blvd
Clermont, FL 34714
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Mondays; 10:00 - 3:00
Jan 26 - Apr 6, 2026
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Wednesdays: 10:00 - 3:00
Jan 28 - Apr 8, 2026​
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By appointment only
(352) 432-3824
Larry Jackson Library
1700 N. Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33805
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Mondays: 3:00 - 6:00
Jan 26 - Apr 6, 2026
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Walk in site
(863) 425-1523, x 103
Mulberry Community Service Center
211 NW First Ave
Mulberry, FL 33860
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Call for appointment​​
(863) 425-1523, x 103
Salvation Army
Assisted Self-Preparation Site
2455 Jim Galloway Road
Lakeland, FL 33810
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Monday - Friday
9:00 - 4:00
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By appointment only
(863) 853-2214
Women's Resource Center
165 Avenue A NW
Winter Haven, FL 33884
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Wednesdays: 10:00 - 3:00
Jan 28 - Apr 8, 2026
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By appointment only
(863) 875-8379
One-day
Saturday
Tax-a-Thons
2026 Dates / places
To be determined​
To file your taxes yourself using My Free Taxes sponsored by United Way of Central Florida, click here.
MyFreeTaxes helps people file their taxes for free while getting the assistance they need. If your family income is less than $66,000, you are eligible to have your taxes prepared for free.
What to Bring to Your Tax Appointment:
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The free tax return preparation service is provided through the United Way of Central Florida's financial stability initiative, which prioritizes the importance of emergency savings accounts. For this reason, you are requested to bring SAVINGS account information rather than checking account information for direct deposit of refunds. This enables us to continue providing the free tax return preparation service.
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Savings Account information including routing and account numbers for direct deposit of refund
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Identification (driver’s license, photo ID, passport)
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Social Security cards or ITINs. If receiving Social Security, Form SSA-1099 can be used as a substitute for the card.
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If Married Filing Jointly: Both spouses must be present with photo IDs and Social Security cards or ITIN (individual taxpayer identification number)
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If claiming dependents, Social Security cards or ITINs for everyone claimed.
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Birthdates for you, your spouse, and dependents on the return
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Wage and earnings documents (W-2, W-2G, 1099-NEC, 1099-R, SSA-1099, etc.)
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Interest and Dividend Statements (1099-Int, 1099-Div)
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Form 1095-A if covered by Marketplace Health Insurance. If you have marketplace insurance, and do not provide the Form 1095-A, the IRS will reject the return.
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Total paid for daycare and the provider’s tax identifying number
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For personal businesses (example Uber or Lyft drivers): bring documents to substantiate deductions, such as fees paid, business miles driven, etc.
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Any other tax form such as an IRS identify protection PIN number
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Last year’s tax return, if possible
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For filing late 2021 returns the amount received for third stimulus payment
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For filing late 2020 returns the amount received for first and second stimulus payments
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Amended (corrected) returns:
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If you file your taxes with us, and then receive another tax form that should have been included, we can file an amended return for you; however, in order to serve taxpayers who have not yet filed, we do not do any amended returns prior to March 15, 2024.
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When to expect your refund:
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The IRS states that e-filers who choose direct deposit can expect their refunds within 21 days.
Exception for filers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and/or the Advance Child Tax Credit (ACTC): As in prior years, the law requires the IRS to hold EITC and ACTC tax refunds for a period to review. Barring other issues, the first of these refunds should be available by February 27, 2024, if using direct deposit. See www.irs.gov/refundtiming
Late Filers
We can efile tax returns for 2024, 2023, and 2022, and create paper mail-in returns for 2021 and 2020.
To prepare for your tax appointment, please check the list of documents to bring, and don't forget your savings account information.
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The Mulberry Community Service Center files taxes year round. If you do not file your taxes during the January 29 - April 15, 2025 tax season, please call (863) 425-1523 for an appointment after June 1, 2025.